The people of God are strong people. We are not weaklings who tremble and quake every time a new threat comes into our lives. We stand with boldness to face whatever life has to offer. Ruth, the daughter-in-law of Naomi, the woman from the land of Moab, was not a weakling. The death of her husband broke her heart but not her spirit. She was determined to make a new life in a new land. Somehow, the text does not tell us how, Ruth learned to believe in the God of her husband and of her mother-in-law. She learned to trust him as a God of love and compassion. In the words of Boaz, Ruth “sought refuge under the wings of the God of Israel (Ruth 2:12).” Foreigner and convert though she was, Ruth faced the future with courage because she believed her life was under the protection of God.

As Chris…